


Stay

by AngelofDarkness1605



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-16 13:31:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8104261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelofDarkness1605/pseuds/AngelofDarkness1605
Summary: When giving birth to the child of Rumplestiltskin and herself, Belle realizes that she can no longer live separated from her True Love.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Inkfire for the wonderful beta work.

Thanks to her extensive research beforehand, giving birth is more or less like Belle expected. What she did not anticipate, however, is that the longing for the man she banned from her life more than half a year ago would become almost unbearable, yet more so than her delivery itself.

She has been in the hospital bed for hours, and Dr. Whale has implied that she's going to stay there for at least a few more. Belle knew in advance that giving birth would be the toughest thing she'd ever done in life. But after thinking so much of her child rather than her former husband in the past few months, the almost aching way she misses Rumplestiltskin is almost equally difficult.

Belle knows that she's in capable hands and that almost everyone in town is supporting her, that a considerable number of friends are right in the other room. But now that she's in the hospital, alone except for the doctor and a nurse, she realizes that she doesn't want to do this without her husband.

She isn't quite certain whether she actually wants him back in her life beyond the undeniable fact that he's the father of her child, but right now, when she's delivering said child, she wants him—she _needs_ him—at her side.

"Rumplestiltskin!" she cries out loudly, knowing that, somehow, he will hear her.

The two other persons present are startled by her unexpected exclamation, yet more so when there's a purple cloud of smoke barely a second later and the Dark One materializes into the room.

Belle subconsciously holds her breath, forgetting for a moment why she called him here in the first place when she sees her True Love for the first time in months. No matter how familiar he might still be to her, his current shape is most definitely not.

Despite it being the middle of the day, the man she was once married to is wearing his favorite set of pajamas. His feet are bare, and there's a thick layer of stubble on his cheeks and chin. The way his eyes widen and his expression softens when he sees her is, however, exactly the same as it has always been.

"Belle," he whispers, reverent and questioning.

"Rumplestiltskin," she greets him in return, finding her voice unexpectedly hoarse.

"Sw… Belle, how are you?"

"I'm fine," she murmurs, eagerly drinking in the sight of him despite herself.

No matter how much she tells herself otherwise, she still misses him so much it _hurts_ and she can't truly imagine herself maintaining their separation forever.

"How are _you_ , Rumple?" she asks, suddenly desperate to know.

He shrugs, gesturing at himself, lowering his gaze. She swallows heavily when she takes a closer look at him, taking in his gaunt appearance and sagged shoulders. Clearly, he isn't well at all.

It shocks her. Not only because, after everything they have gone through, she only wants happiness for him, but also because she never expected him to give up. But here he is, defeated by her rejection.

He's still wearing his wedding ring, the twin of the one she put far, far away months ago…

It's clear to her that he hasn't been scheming. He hasn't been trying to go against her wishes to get her back. By the looks of it, he hasn't relied on magic for anything but to transport himself here. For once, when it mattered most and at the same time when it didn't matter anymore at all, he finally and fully accepted what she had been asking of him the whole time.

Despite everything, he still loves her, just as much as she pretends to no longer love him back.

"How is the baby?"

"We're about to find out," she says, gesturing down her body; her legs drawn up and her feet braced on the mattress, a sheet covering them.

He stares at her for a few seconds, clearly not understanding her meaning, but then he finally seems to realize where exactly he materialized.

"Belle, are you… is everything going well? Is there something you need? Is our child in danger? Are there any complications? Do you need… does the baby need ma…"

"No, no, it isn't anything like that," she quickly reassures him, if only because she can't hear him say that horrible five letter word one more time.

"But then why did you ask for me?"

Her heart breaks yet further as he stands there, lost and confused, convinced that she could only want him for what his magic can do for her.

"I don't want to do this without you," she softly admits.

"What… what can I do for you? What do you want me to do?"

"Come sit here with me?" she asks, patting at the mattress right at her side.

Rumplestiltskin nods eagerly, immediately stepping forward, only to stumble with the first step he takes. She noticed that he wasn't carrying his cane, but only now does she realize that he isn't using magic to heal his ankle.

He catches himself on the edge of her bed, but only barely so, his breath ragged. She doesn't think twice about helping him, reaching out to him to grasp his arms and pull him at her side. With her assistance, her True Love gratefully sits down next to her. Noting that his skin is cold, she pulls the sheet which is covering her over him as well.

Belle wrinkles her nose now that they're this close to one another, realizing that he smells _._ It seems that he has been neglecting himself yet more than she initially thought. But although his scent is quite stronger than usual, it's still _his_ , wonderfully so, and she can't help but rest her head on his shoulder, pressing her face against his skin and breathing in deeply.

" _Sweetheart_ ," he whispers, burying his nose deeply into her sweaty and unruly hair.

She would have loved to savor that moment of closeness with the man she still loves with her entire being, but at that very moment their still unborn child demands her attention. She cries out at the pain that courses through her.

Rumplestiltskin moves away from her, to her horror reacting as if he thought that _he_ had caused her to yelp. She forcefully pulls him back towards her, taking his hand in her own to _squeeze_ in a valorous effort to get through the pain.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" he asks, but she has no breath left to tell him.

Luckily, Dr. Whale does, explaining her situation to him while the nurse reminds her to _breathe_. When he is told that this is probably going to take another few hours at least, his complexion becomes paler yet and his face tightens in resolution.

"I know only too well that you have to do all the hard work, sweetheart," he tells her in a hushed voice. "But please know, if there's anything I can do for you or our child, I'll do it. _Anything_. I'll pay the price. If you don't want magic… I'll do whatever I can to make this easier for you."

"Thank you," she grunts, breathing through the pain. "Just… stay right here? With me? With _us_?"

He nods with unmistakable relief, questioningly putting his arm around her back. She accepts it eagerly, burrowing closer against him and tightening her hold on his hand, brushing her fingers over his wedding ring.

"Squeeze it as hard as you want," he encourages her.

As the minutes and hours pass, it doesn't matter that she could have done this on her own as well. What matters is that Rumplestiltskin is here, whether he's still her husband or not, selflessly supporting her.

It's gone dark outside and she's utterly exhausted by the time the baby is finally ready to arrive. A few last, excruciating pushes and then the sound of crying fills the room. Exhausted, sweat and tears clouding her vision, but very much aware of his body next to her own, Belle is only vaguely aware that the nurse inspects the baby for a while.

"Congratulations," Dr. Whale says as if through a fog, "it's a healthy baby girl."

Her focus comes back when the nurse puts the baby— _their daughter_ —into her arms, the tiny infant covered by a fluffy blanket. For minutes, all she can do is stare at the small human being through half-closed eyes, overcome with awe and love.

Only after quite some time does she become aware that Rumplestiltskin is staring at their child in a very similar manner, his face slack with wonder and his breath almost non-existent. She also notices that Dr. Whale is holding the scissors to cut the umbilical cord, looking questioningly at the two people on the bed.

She meets his eye in confirmation, nodding in the direction of the man at her side. The latter only becomes aware of the interaction when the doctor offers him the scissors, gesturing at the cord. Her husband understands nearly immediately, looking back at her for confirmation and only doing the honors after she has nodded slightly.

Almost as if sensing that her life outside the womb has begun now, their daughter reaches for her mother's breasts with chubby, still rather helpless hands. Smiling, Belle parts her gown and helps the baby until she's suckling experimentally.

Hearing Rumplestiltskin's gasp, she realizes that thanks to her pregnancy, her breasts are considerably larger than when their baby was conceived. But when she glances at him, looking away from their daughter for a second, she finds him watching their child as intently as she did herself, seemingly oblivious to the size of her chest.

"Have you already decided on a name?" he rasps, his voice very careful and pointedly neutral.

"Not yet. I figured, despite everything, that we should decide about that together."

" _Thank you_ ," he whispers, slightly tightening his hold on her.

As they, together, watch their newly-born daughter drink for the very first time, she's yet more glad that he's here to share this. When the girl is done and starts to fall asleep almost immediately, it also dawns on her that Rumplestiltskin hasn't held her yet… and that she would actually like him to.

"Do you want to hold your daughter?" she asks, noting the complete surprise on his face.

He nods shakily, as if unable to speak, his hands yet more careful than her own when he takes their child in his arms. The baby is fully asleep by then and he rocks her very gently, in a way no book or conversation with any mother could have taught her.

The reminder that he has been a father before, that he's got so much more experience with this than she has right now, is yet another sign of how good it is for him to be here. Belle watches, her heart filled with love and tears streaming down both her husband's and her own face.

Rumplestiltskin doesn't say anything to their child, but there's something in his posture, something in his eyes which, without warning, makes her _understand._

Watching him with their newborn child, Belle understands why her husband has been the way he has, that protectiveness which seemed so ridiculous to her in the past. Overtaken by love yet stronger than what she feels for him, she has to acknowledge that she would do _anything_ for her child, that even magic isn't nearly as forbidden any longer.

He tried to explain to her, more than once, that the end always justifies the means to him. She very vocally disagreed at those times, but now that she watches her family like this, she must admit to herself that she's beginning to feel the same way.

Still, there's no denying that they aren't actually a whole, true family at this time. They're going to have to talk… they are going to have to talk a _lot,_ and soon. But for now, being here like this, just the three of them finally together once more, is exactly what they need.

Belatedly realizing that she's beyond exhausted and that both her daughter and herself are in very good hands, Belle snuggles more closely against her husband and closes her eyes.


End file.
